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Dealers Reclaim the Used Car Market: Trust drives significant channel shift.

Feb 1, 2026 | 6 min read | 1,004 words | Share article

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Mike Sinclair

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Mike Sinclair has been testing and writing about cars, motorcycles and more for over 30 years. He was a key executive team member when ACP Media and Carsales formed Australia's leading automotive, industrial, marine and motorcycle online network in the 2000s, and the driving force behind the launch of motoring.com.au. For two decades, Mike led the large multimedia and editorial team at Carsales, and all PR and corporate communications. Mike now consults with a number of key brands on a range of automotive and powersports opportunities.

Dealers Reclaim the Used Car Market: Trust drives significant channel shift.

Consumers returned to dealers for their second-hand car fix in 2025, redressing a COVID-19 imbalance, says dealer association

According to the 2025 Automotive Insights Report (AIR), the Australian used-car market barely moved in 2025. Total sales slipped just 0.37 per cent to 2.32 million vehicles.

But beneath that static headline sits a significant reshaping of who's selling those cars and, more importantly, who consumers trust to sell them. Dealer transactions climbed from

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Avatar photo

Mike Sinclair

LinkedIn Connect with Mike

Mike Sinclair has been testing and writing about cars, motorcycles and more for over 30 years. He was a key executive team member when ACP Media and Carsales formed Australia's leading automotive, industrial, marine and motorcycle online network in the 2000s, and the driving force behind the launch of motoring.com.au. For two decades, Mike led the large multimedia and editorial team at Carsales, and all PR and corporate communications. Mike now consults with a number of key brands on a range of automotive and powersports opportunities.


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